Circular loom



I May 118, 1937. F. c. HALE El AL J 8 CIRCULAR LOOM Filed April 16', 1956 nhmr.

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Patented May 18, 1937 UNITED STATES CIRCULAR LOOM Frank Corbyn Hale, Spondon, near Derby, Eng-l land, and Joanny Jabouley, Villeurbanne,

. Francaassignors to Celanese-Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application April 16, 1936, Serial'No. 74,634 In Great Britain May 20, 1935v 4 Claims. (Gina-13') This invention relates to circular looms of the type in which warp threads are arranged in substantially cylindrical order and are Woven into fabric by shuttles between which and the warps 5 there is relative circular motion along the periphery of a weaving circle, the shuttles being held in place within the warp sheds by means of rotatable vane wheels. The vane wheels are disposed outside the weaving circle and pass through one sheet of the warps into contact with the shuttles, the threads of the sheet penetrated by the vane wheels passing between the vanes during relative rotation between the warp threads and the shuttles.

In circular looms in which the velocity of the shuttles in relation to the warps is great, as is necessary in order to obtain high output, and especially in looms employing delicate textile threads, it is highly important that in the event of damage to the warps or other occurrence likely to lead to warp jamming, weaving should be brought to an end with great rapidity so as to avoid the shuttles attempting to continue their relative motion with respect to the warps and Stop mechanism adapted to bring about rapid cessation of weaving by bringing the relative motion between shuttles and warps to an end irrespective of whether or not other motions incidental to the looms working cease are described in U. S. Patents Nos. 2,008,397, 1,822,292, 1,968,041, 1,984,798, 2,019,608 and 2,027,459.

In looms in which the shuttles themselves rotate about the loom axis, the stop motion operates to apply a brake to the rotating member by which the shuttles, through the action of the vane wheels, are supported. The vane wheels themselves are rotated because of the rotation of this supporting member carrying gears in connection with the vane wheel shafts round the loom periphery and causing these gears to be driven by engagement with toothed gear extending round the loom. Consequently, when the supporting member is brought to rest, the vane Wheels also cease to rotate. Similarly, in looms in which the warps rotate, the stop motion may serve to put the supporting member into rotation, this resulting in the vane wheels slowing down until, when shuttles and warps are moving at the same speed, the vane wheels do not rotate.

It is an object of the invention to improve the vane wheel mechanism of circular looms of the type indicated.

According to the invention, the vane wheels stretching or breaking the jammed threads.

are supported and driven by shafts mounted on a ring between which and the warp threads there is relative circular motion with respect to the loom axis, the shafts being mounted at a different level from their supporting ring and extending tangentially away from the weaving circle to gearing connecting them with a gear ring disposed at substantially the same level as the shaft-supporting ring and between which and the shaft-supporting ring there is relative circular motion with respect to the loom axis to drive the vane wheel shafts. Incorporated in the gearing connecting each vane wheel shaft with the gear ring is a toothed free wheel clutch mechanism to make the vane wheel shaftand the vane wheels capable of over-running the connecting gearing.

Consequently, when relative motion between the shuttles and the warps ceases, the vane wheel shafts and the vane wheels can continue rotating. Therefore, when the loom stop mechanism is called on to bring weaving to an end, the stop mechanism is relieved of the necessity for rapidly overcoming the momentum of the vane wheels andthe vane wheel shafts. Since the vane wheels and shafts in a multi-shuttle loom are both numerous and, because of their high speed of rotation, are possessed of considerable momentum, the stop mechanism is enabled to bring relative rotation to an end in a much shorter space of time than if it had to overcome the rotation of the vane wheels themselves. Furthermore, by the vane wheels continuing their rotation the danger of the warps being stretched or broken by the vane wheels is lessened, in addition to the advantage in this direction due to the more rapidstopping of the shuttles.

The toothed free wheel clutch mechanism may be applied at any convenient point in the drive to the vane wheels, but preferably as near as possible'to the gear ring so as to permit not only the vane wheels and the vane wheel shafts to continue rotating, but also as much as possible of the gearing sharing in their rotation. Thus, where the drive from the gear ring'to the vane Wheel shafts is transmitted by intermediate shaft gearing, the toothed free wheel clutch mechanism may be disposed close to the gear ring so as to allow the intermediate shafts, as well as the vane wheel shafts, to continue rotating.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevational view largely in section of the vane wheel driving mechanism for one shuttle;

Fig. 2 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 1 showing the tangential disposition of the vane wheel shafts; and

Fig. 3 shows to an enlargedscale a detail of Fig. 1.

The shuttles I are mounted for rotation along the normal line 2, the propulsion of each shuttle being effected by means of vane wheels 3 fixed on a tangential shaft 4- mounted on columns 5 and carried on a ring 6 driven by any suitable means (not shown). The shafts 4 are connected by bevel gears I, 8 to a shaft 9, the lower end ID of which is provided with a gear II meshing with a fixed gear, the pitch of the circle of which is shown by the dotted line I2. As the shaftsupporting ring 6 rotates round the loom, the gear II is carried round the gear I2 to rotate the shaft 9 and therefore the shaft 4 carrying the vane wheels 3. 1

The vane wheels are required to rotate at a high speed, this being effected. by the large ratio between the gear I2 and gear I I, and also by the multiplying action of the bevel gears 8, I. The vane wheels and the shafts 4 and 9 and the gears connected with the shafts acquire a high momentum. If, therefore, the shaft-supporting ring 6 is brought suddenly to rest to stop the rotation of the shuttles I about the loom, the connection of the gears II with the gears I2 causes the momentum of the rapidly rotating parts to resist the stopping action. In the arrangement shown, however, the effect of this momentum is substantially eliminated by making the lower part ID of the shaft 9 separate from the main portion of the shaft, the main portion thus serving as an intermediate shaft between the lower driving or geared portion Ill and the vane wheel shaft 4.

As shown in greater detail in. Fig. 3, the abutting portions of the shafts 9, I0 are provided with toothed clutch members I3, I4 normally urged into engagement with each other by means of a spring I5, the member I3 being free to slide endwise on the intermediate shaft 9. The teeth on the members I3, I4 are so arranged that during the anti-clockwise drive of the gear II as viewed in Fig. 2, the intermediate shaft 9 is positively driven. When, however, the pinion II ceases its rotation, the clutch member I3 slips with respect to the member I4 and permits the vane wheels to continue their rotation. Instead, therefore, of the momentum of the rapidly rotating vane wheels, shafts and gears having to be overcome very quickly, only their momentum to the rotation about the axis of the loom remains to be dealt with.

Having described our invention, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

l. A circular loom in which warp threads are arranged in substantially cylindrical order and are woven into fabric by shuttles positioned within the warp sheds by vane wheels carried by shafts arranged substantially tangential to the weaving circle and mounted on a ring between which and the warp threads there is relative circular motion with respect to the loom axis, said loom comprising vane wheel rotating means including a gear ring disposed at substantially the same level as the shaft-supporting ring and at a different level from the vane-wheel shafts, between which ring and said shaft-supporting ring there is relative circular motion with respect to the loom axis, means connecting the gear ring and the vane wheel shaft so as to r0- tate the shaft during such relative motion, and a toothed free wheel clutch mechanism interposed between the connecting means and the vane wheel shaft to make the vane wheel shaft and vane wheels capable of over-running the connectmg means.

2. A circular loom in which warp threads are arranged in substantially cylindrical order and are woven into fabric .by shuttles positioned within the warp sheds by vane wheels carried by shafts arranged substantially tangential to the weaving circle and mounted on a ring between which and the warp threads there is relative circular motion with respect to the loom axis, said loom comprising vane wheel rotating means including a gear ring disposed at substantially the same level as the shaft-supporting ring and at a different level from the vane wheel shafts, between which ring and said shaft-supporting ring there is relative circular motion with respect to the loom axis, a geared shaft in engagement with the gear ring, an intermediate shaft in engagement with the vane wheel shaft and terminating at one end in substantial alignment with the geared shaft, a toothed clutch member in driving connection with the geared shaft, a complementary toothed clutch member in driving connection with the intermediate shaft, one of the toothed clutch members being adapted to move longitudinally of the shafts so as to come into and out of engagement with the other toothed clutch member, and a spring for urging the movable toothed clutch member into. engagement with the other toothed clutch member, the spring being capable of yielding to permit over-running of the intermediate shaft and the vane wheel shaft and the vane wheels.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein one toothed clutch member is movable along the intermediate shaft and the other toothed clutch member is fixed to the shaft in engagement with the gear ring.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 comprising bevel gearing connecting the vane wheel shaft and the intermediate shaft in engagement therewith.

FRANK CORBYN HALE. JOANNY JABOULEY. 

